Emmy was starting to fall asleep. Tillie laid her on her lap as she got her own clothing back in place. Then she held the baby close to her shoulder. She rubbed her back gently to release any air. She was so delicate and tiny even her cry was feminine and ladylike. So was the small little burp that escaped her.
Levi came into the room still wiping his hands on a dish towel. “I would say she’s got perfect timing.”
Tillie smiled. “It seems that way to me. Sorry about leaving you to clean up by yourself. Maybe I’ll be able to make it up to you tonight at supper.”
He shook his head. “You’re my guest.”
Uninvited guest, she silently corrected. But he was too polite to say so.
“I don’t suppose the roads would be clear tomorrow?” she asked, giving a nod to the window and the ice that still coated everything outside.
He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “I’m thinking maybe English cars. And I can still walk to the neighbors’ .”
“I hate to ask you to do that.” But she needed to get word to her family.
“I can go this afternoon,” he said. “You and the baby can have a nap, and I’ll walk over and call your sister. The one who owns the store in town.”
“Danki,” she said. “I really appreciate it. You’ve done so much for us already.”
He gave a shrug, as if his help had been of no consequence. But it meant the world to her. And she knew that it had cost him dearly.
* * *
Levi pulled his scarf a little farther up on his face but didn’t stop walking. Rarely had he gone to his neighbors’ house to use the phone. In an emergency only. And this was an emergency. Though he didn’t remember it seeming to take this long to get there, or maybe that was the weather.
The wind had turned cold again, and what little ice had melted had refrozen. With any luck, tomorrow the English cars would be able to get out. But he wasn’t sure about taking a horse and buggy on the icy, rutted roads.
The best he could hope for was a cop or an ambulance maybe, though if he called either one he was certain Tillie would be madder than a wet hen.
She was something to behold when she held that baby. It was mystifying to him. A miracle. But wasn’t that the way of Christmastime? A moment of miracles?
It was a miracle, as well, what happened inside him each time he gave her something for the baby. A blanket, socks, a pacifier that seemed to take up half of her little face. With each item a little bit of his heart went as well. The strange thing was he didn’t mind it at all.
He smelled the smoke from the chimney before he saw the house. Thankfully, that meant someone was home. Levi had lived next to Owen Carson for many years now, and he seemed a good man. It had been Owen who had called the ambulance for Mary. Owen who had given her CPR even when they both knew that she was already gone. And Owen who had sat with him until his family came.
Levi made his way to the back door and knocked. No lights were on. Levi wondered if maybe the electricity had been knocked out by the storm.
He rapped once more, then the door opened to reveal his longtime neighbor.
“Levi?” Owen said by way of greeting. “Come in, come in.” He stood to one side to allow Levi to enter. “What brings you out this way?” Owen asked as he led the way to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry to ask, but may I use your phone?”
“Everything all right?” Owen asked with concern.
Levi nodded. “I have an unexpected guest. Well, two, really.” He explained about Tillie and Emmy.
“You don’t say,” Owen said. “That is something else.”
“I need to call her family and let them know that she’s okay,” Levi continued as Owen shook his head in wonderment.
“She’s not Amish?” Owen asked.
“Jah, she is.” Sort of. “But she has a sister who is Mennonite. She runs a secondhand store in town.”
Owen nodded. “I know the one. I bought the missus some of their goat milk lotions for Christmas.” He placed one finger over his lips as if to tell Levi it was a secret, then he pointed to the table where his cell phone lay. “Sit down if you like. Wanda made some coffee before she went for her walk and the power went off. You want a cup?”
“Thanks,” Levi said. “That would be welcome.” He pulled out one of the chairs and sat while Owen poured coffee into a mug and refilled his own cup.
Then Owen sat down across from him and tapped a few times on the phone screen. “We turned the house phone off a couple of months ago,” he told Levi. “It seemed like only telemarketers called that number anyway. So we both just use our cell phones now.” He tapped a few more times, then handed the phone to Levi. “That there’s the number for the store. I figure that might be the best way to reach her. Unless you have a number for her personal phone.”
Levi shook his head. “No, this will have to do.”
Of course no one answered at the store, and he was forced to leave a message. He hated telling Leah the news of Emmy’s birth over a recorded message, but he wanted to let her know that Tillie and baby were both fine and doing well. He wondered when she would get the message. Hopefully it would be before Tillie managed to find her way home.
Owen thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “You know what? I bet if we call the nonemergency police number, they might be able to get word to her family. It’s a special case, wouldn’t you
